''Diamond Express'' is an album by South African alto saxophonist and composer

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist and composer. Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He grew up studyin ...

. It was recorded during the fall of 1975 at

Island Studios An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in London, and was released on vinyl in 1977 by Arista/Freedom. In 1999, it was reissued on CD by the German Jazz Colours label with the title ''Ubagile'', and with a different track order. On four of the album's five tracks, Pukwana is joined by trumpeter

Mongezi Feza Mongezi Feza (11 May 1945 – 14 December 1975) was a South African jazz trumpeter and flautist. Biography Feza was born in Queenstown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, into a family of musicians, His elder brother, Sandi Feza, who ...

, guitarist Lucky Ranko, keyboardist Frank Roberts, double bassist Ernest Mothle, and drummers James Meine and

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (10 March 1940 – 13 June 2025) was a South African jazz drummer. He was a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The ...

. On the remaining track, he is accompanied by saxophonist

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in Soft Mach ...

, trumpeter Feza, trombonist Nick Evans, guitarist Ranko, pianist

Keith Tippett Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "...spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporar ...

, double bassist Victor Ntoni, and drummer Moholo. The album is dedicated to the memory of Mongezi Feza, who died shortly after the recording session.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Brian Olewnick wrote: "''Diamond Express'' may be something of a mixed bag and may never quite reach the ecstatic extremes of '' In the Townships'', but overall it's a fine date and a good chance to hear what this late, great musician was capable of." He singled out "Tete and Barbs In My Mind" for praise, stating that it "combines spirited free playing with a lovely, dirge-like theme and is representative of the sort of music played at the time when the South African expatriates and British avant-jazzers joined forces." A writer for ''

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'' commented: "One side features highly rhythmic jazz stripped of all harshness that is quite catchy, and perfectly paced. Side two features several wondrously complex jazz exchanges among a well-honed septet."

Track listing

;Original LP release # "Ubaguile (See Saw)" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:00 # "Diamond Express" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:22 # "Madodana (The Young Ones)" (Dudu Pukwana) – 7:53 # "Tete and Barbs In My Mind" (Dudu Pukwana, Tete Mbambisa) – 4:35 # "Bird Lives" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:55 ;CD reissue # "Diamond Express" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:15 # "Bird Lives" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:57 # "Ubagile (See Saw)" (Dudu Pukwana) – 8:03 # "Madodana (The Young Ones)" (Dudu Pukwana) – 7:55 # "Tete and Barbs In My Mind" (Dudu Pukwana, Tete Mbambisa) – 4:38

Personnel

– alto saxophone *

– trumpet * Lucky Ranko – guitar * Frank Roberts – keyboards (LP tracks 1–3, 5) * Ernest Mothle – double bass, electric bass (LP tracks 1–3, 5) * James Meine – drums (LP tracks 1–3, 5) *

– drums, percussion *

– saxello (LP track 4) * Nick Evans – trombone (LP track 4) *

– piano (LP track 4) * Victor Ntoni – bass (LP track 4)

References

{{Authority control 1977 albums Dudu Pukwana albums Freedom Records albums Albums produced by Michael Cuscuna